Admissions

Every year, UT Southwestern Medical School receives applications from many qualified, passionate, and diverse candidates across the United States and Texas. Each fall, we welcome approximately 230 students into the medical program. Admission is highly competitive, and by law, 90 percent of applicants admitted are required to be Texas residents.

Ready to apply?

Applying to the Medical School at UT Southwestern requires submission of both primary and secondary applications:

Applications are accepted starting May 1, and the deadline to submit both the TMDSAS and secondary application is October 1.

What to expect after you apply

Your application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. If selected to interview, you will receive an invitation by email to visit the UT Southwestern campus. Invitations to interview are sent to applicants beginning in mid-July and indicate that your application has reached an advanced stage of consideration but does not guarantee admission. Interviews take place from early September through early January.

December

January

UT Southwestern interview season ends

Deadline to rank schools of preference in TMDSAS admissions match

February

TMDSAS match results are announced

MS0 (Second Look Weekend) takes place

April

By April 30, multiple offers must be resolved. This date applies to all medical schools across the nation. It is the final day an applicant can hold on to more than one offer from an LCME-accredited medical school.

June:

June 1 marks the last day an applicant can hold on to more than one offer from an LCME-accredited medical school

Invitations for interviews are typically sent at least three weeks before the assigned interview date. You may accept or change the assigned interview date, based on seating capacity, once you receive your invitation. All candidates will have two back-to-back interviews with UT Southwestern faculty members or researchers.

We offer an engaging two-day interview program on Fridays and Saturdays that includes opportunities to participate in clinical rounds, tour our cutting-edge facilities, and hear presentations on student opportunities in global health, community service, and dual-degree programs as well as how our innovative curriculum helps students become leaders in the field. More importantly, applicants will have the chance to engage with our current students, faculty, and staff to experience the collaborative culture and supportive environment waiting for them at UT Southwestern Medical School.

The UT Southwestern Admissions Committee evaluates candidates in a holistic manner. The Committee is interested in identifying applicants who possess not only the academic capabilities but also the personal attributes and characteristics inherent in excellent physicians. Additionally, the Committee will assess the candidate’s motivation to pursue a career in medicine, ensuring alignment with the mission of UT Southwestern Medical School, which emphasizes the importance of training primary-care physicians, educating doctors who will practice in medically underserved areas of Texas, and preparing physician-scientists who seek careers in academic medicine and research.

The Admissions Committee considers all of the following in evaluating each applicant’s acceptability:

Scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Academic performance in college as reflected in the grade-point average

The rigor of the undergraduate curriculum

Recommendations from the college premedical committee or faculty

Extracurricular activities

Socioeconomic background

Any time spent in outside employment

Personal integrity and compassion for others

The ability to communicate in English

Other personal qualities and individual factors such as leadership, self-appraisal, determination, social and family support, and maturity and coping capabilities

The following courses are required for enrollment in UT Southwestern Medical School. We suggest (but don’t require) that students complete all premedical course requirements prior to applying. All requirements must be fulfilled before enrolling into the medical curriculum.

Required courses must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Advanced Placement credit is acceptable, if the school granting the credit lists the specific course(s) and number of units granted per course on the official transcript.

Biology

Requirements

Two years of courses for science majors

One year must include formal laboratory experience

A minimum of 14 semester credit hours: eight for year one with lab and six for the remainder; or 12 lecture hours and two lab hours

A grade of C or better in all biology courses applied toward a baccalaureate degree in a traditional science field

If two semesters of biochemistry are completed, one semester of biochemistry will be accepted toward fulfilling this requirement.

Courses must be applicable toward a baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field regardless of student’s major

Should include familiarity with analytic and volumetric techniques

Acceptable Courses/Credit

Inorganic courses include general chemistry, physical chemistry, and quantitative analysis. Organic courses must have “organic” in course title.

Biochemistry may be taught in the Biology, Biochemistry, or Chemistry Department. Biochemistry cannot be an introductory course. Courses for nonscience majors or health career majors (nursing, pharmacy, or allied health sciences) are not accepted.

English

Requirements

One year of college English, minimum of six semester credit hours

Must earn grades of C or better

Acceptable Courses/Credit

Any course approved by an English Department that fulfills general education English requirement of a baccalaureate degree. Remedial or developmental courses or “English as a Second Language” courses are not accepted.

Mathematics

Requirements

One-half year of college calculus or statistics, minimum of three semester credit hours

Must earn grades of C or better

Acceptable Courses/Credit

The calculus course can be any calculus taught by a Math or Physics Department. Business calculus or any precalculus courses are not accepted. The statistics course must be math based and preferably taught in the Math Department.

Physics

Requirements

One year for science majors, including a full year of corresponding laboratory experience – minimum of eight semester credit hours, including lab

Must earn grades of C or better

Acceptable Courses/Credit

Includes all physics courses applied toward baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field. Courses for nonscience majors or health career majors (nursing, pharmacy, or allied health sciences) are not accepted.

Everyone who applies for admission to UT Southwestern Medical School must be able to perform specific essential functions, the basic activities needed to complete the generalist medical school curriculum. All applicants who can perform the Medical School’s essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodations, will be considered for admission.

A candidate for the M.D. degree must be able to perform these essential functions:

Observation

Candidates must be able to accurately observe demonstrations and patients close-up and at a distance to learn skills and to gather patient data (e.g., observe a patient’s gait, appearance, posture, etc.). They must also possess functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation. The sense of smell also enhances observation.

Communication

Candidates must be able to communicate orally and in writing with patients and members of the health care team. Candidates also must be able to read and comprehend written material.

Psychomotor Skills

Candidates must have sufficient motor function to obtain data from patients using tactile, auditory, and visual maneuvers. They must be able to execute motor movements to provide the general care and emergency treatment reasonably required of physicians.

Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities

Candidates must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, integrate, and apply information. Problem-solving, a clinical skill required of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, candidates must be able to comprehend relationships in three dimensions and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

Candidates must possess the emotional health required to use their intellectual abilities fully, such as exercising good judgment, promptly completing all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and developing mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with them. Workloads will be taxing and candidates must function effectively under stress.

Candidates must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of the uncertainties and ambiguities inherent in clinical problems. UT Southwestern Medical School will look for compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation during the admissions and education process.

Ethical Standards

A candidate must demonstrate professional demeanor and behavior, and must perform in an ethical manner in all dealings with peers, faculty, staff, and patients. Candidates must treat all patients equally without regard to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, or any other attribute.

Does UT Southwestern have minimum cutoffs for GPA or MCAT?

UT Southwestern Medical School does not set a minimum GPA or minimum MCAT score for consideration.

Our average GPA for the entering class of 2018 is a 3.84. Our average MCAT for the entering class of 2018 is a 515. We admit students with a range of scores and use a holistic evaluation process, taking into account many different factors during our evaluation of candidates.

Do you accept students from out of state?

Yes. However, we are limited in the number of non-Texas residents we can accept. State law limits our enrollment of nonresidents to 10 percent of our class. Nonresidents are students who are from anywhere outside Texas (this includes residents of any other state). All residency classifications for applicants are done by TMDSAS based on the rules governing Texas residency for higher education as established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Do you accept international students?

It is the goal of UT Southwestern to accept only those students who are guaranteed to complete the full four years of the curriculum based on citizenship or permanent resident status. Therefore, only applicants who are permanent U.S. residents or American citizens will be considered for interview and admission.

What is UT Southwestern’s policy for deferred admission?

Students admitted to UT Southwestern Medical School may request a one-year deferral. Accepted applicants interested in seeking a deferral should download the deferral application and submit it as soon as possible to the Office of Enrollment Services. If the deferral is approved, the applicant’s place in the entering class to which they were originally admitted will be transferred to the following year’s entering class.

Only in unusual circumstances will a request for deferring enrollment more than one year be considered.

Deferral requests are considered within the context of all relevant information, including, but not limited to:

Date of deferral request

Medical school application information

Reason(s) for requesting a deferral

Generally, requests for a one-year deferral received prior to June 1 are approved.

What is UT Southwestern’s policy for transfer admissions?

UT Southwestern is not considering transfer requests for 2018-19 as our clinical rotations are at capacity with implementation of the new curriculum.

Do you consider all college majors?

There isn’t one particular major that is recommended. UT Southwestern accepts students who major in a variety of disciplines. Typically, around 70 percent of students accepted into the Medical School are science majors. The other 30 percent major in a variety of nonscience fields (psychology, business, English, music, etc.).

I submitted my application through TMDSAS several weeks/months ago. When will I hear something from UT Southwestern about my application?

The Admissions Committee reviews and evaluates applications throughout the admissions season. It is not possible to tell you when you will hear from us. If you are selected for an interview, you will be notified by email. We will notify all applicants who are not selected for an interview only after the entire interview process has ended (mid-February).

When do I submit the UT Southwestern secondary application?

Applicants should submit the secondary application once the TMDSAS primary application has been submitted. There is no notification sent to applicants to submit a secondary application; furthermore, applications will not be considered complete until the secondary is received.

If I get invited to interview, will I have a choice of what date I come?

You will be assigned an interview date and instructed how to confirm and/or change that date. Depending on availability for any given date, you will have the opportunity to change your interview date to one that best fits your schedule.

What dual-degree options are there?

At UT Southwestern, we offer the following dual degree opportunities:

M.D./MBA

M.D./M.P.H.

M.D./Ph.D.

How can I determine if I’m a Texas resident?

All residency classifications for applicants are done by the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) based on the rules governing Texas residency for higher education as established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.